1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer network management. More specifically, it relates to provisioning and managing components in a computer network using USB memory devices that enable components to connect to network technician devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Managing computer networks has become an increasingly complex and expensive endeavor for many organizations. Networks are often comprised of hundreds or even thousands of network components and devices that may be spread over wide geographical areas. This has resulted in the total cost of ownership of a network component in an enterprise environment rising significantly. Initially, networks are organized, orderly, and easy to manage, for example, devices are assigned logical addresses and they are categorized in understandable ways. However, over time, components move to different ports in a router, for example, or initially well-defined software to configure the network components may no longer be applicable or effective.
Many of these problems stem from the fact that the network components are not readily identifiable and in order for a network technician to connect to the component, he or she must be able to identify the equipment. The problem of identifying the equipment is amplified with the advent of IPv6 which uses 16 octets for addresses, and requires that technicians remember or keep track of longer IP addresses.
To illustrate, suppose a network has thousands of switches. Each switch typically needs to be configured individually, which, in turn, may involve running a cable from the technician's laptop to the switch which, in turn, may involve physically moving the box, while the technician types in data, like the IP address of the switch and other component-related data, and then place the box back in its location, often in a congested network component closet. The need to physically connect to the component has also prevented the effective use of hand-held mobile devices which often lack the necessary interfaces, such as RS232, needed to connect to the network component.
Thus, it would be desirable to reduce the complexity and inefficiencies that occur while managing network components and decrease the time a technician spends interacting with a component, thereby bringing down the overall cost of maintaining the network. It would also be desirable to have a portable device to facilitate the management and provisioning of network devices.